Episode 36: Launching your podcast: essential gear, Apps and tips

Ever wondered what it takes to launch a podcast that stands out? On this episode of The Talkative Toastmaster, I discuss the essential gear and tools you need to kick off your podcasting journey. 

We'll explore the key equipment and tools you'll need to get you sounding great, and run through some of the recording software options like Audacity, Garageband, and Adobe Audition. Plus, learn about online services such as Riverside FM and Zoom for seamless guest interviews.

Sound quality can make or break a podcast, and I share some practical tips to ensure your audio is top-notch. I’ll also talk through a couple of best practices for microphone usage and what editing tools are available to you. 

We’ll also explore how podcast hosting platforms like Buzzsprout can help distribute your episodes smoothly across various directories, ensuring your content reaches the right audience.

I'll cover the importance of having a website for your podcast, and leveraging simpler methods like uploading audio files to YouTube or Rumble. We’ll also cover effective marketing strategies, from social media engagement to collaborations with other podcasters. And for my fellow Toastmasters, I’ll share how podcasting can enrich your Toastmasters journey and encourage you to embark on this rewarding adventure. 

Tune in to be inspired and equipped to start your own podcasting adventure!

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Thanks for listening! We'd love to hear your thoughts or feedback about the show. Feel free to message Mel at talkativetoastmaster@gmail.com or connect with us on your favourite social media platforms:
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Transcript

Speaker 1 0:08

You're listening to the Talkative Toastmaster podcast. I'm your host, melanie Surplus. In this podcast, we explore how Toastmasters can help you to polish your public speaking skills, communicate with confidence and amplify your authenticity. You'll hear from my fellow Toastmasters and I how this global organization has impacted our lives for the better and how it could impact yours. Now let's get talkative. Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to episode 36.

Speaker 1 0:42

This week I'm talking through part three of my multi-part series about podcasting. In part one of the series, back in episode 34, I talked about why I think podcasting is the perfect platform for Toastmasters and what I believe are some of the personal and professional development benefits you can gain by getting into podcasting. Then, in part two, in episode 35, I talk through the level four elective pathways project create a podcast, which introduces you to the skills needed to organize, present, produce and distribute a podcast. This week, I'll talk about some of the practicalities based on my actual experience of podcasting for the last seven months, including what sort of equipment and tools you'll need, the recording and production process, podcasting platforms and other ways of distributing your podcast, and a little bit about marketing your podcast to ensure it gets out to your intended audience and I want to stress that this is really an overview of a process I use, and there are plenty of resources out there, on YouTube in particular, that will delve into each area in massive detail. So this is really just to give you an overview of some of the processes and tools I use to hopefully pique your interest enough for you to get going. So let's start with the equipment and tools that you'll need Now.

Speaker 1 2:20

Starting a podcast as an amateur does not require an extensive setup although, like any hobby, you could go crazy with buying gear and all the accessories. But at the very least you'll need a microphone, and you've got a couple of choices here. One is a USB microphone that is easy to use and plugs straight into your computer. This is what I use and have used from the start of when I started podcasting. I use the Rode NT-USB Plus Professional USB condenser microphone, and this cost me about $230. This mic also comes with what is called a pop filter, which helps to reduce plosive sounds, and that is those sometimes harsh sounds like P and B that give that pop. So this mic, I find, does exactly what I need it to.

Speaker 1 3:17

I don't know enough about quality sound to know what difference a more expensive microphone would make. There's many, many other options out there for USB microphones, including the Blue Yeti or the Audio Technica range. Again, if you're buying equipment, I would suggest looking at gear reviews and just seeing what's around and what's in your budget. It can be such a broad topic around and what's in your budget, it can be such a broad topic. Then also, we have XLR microphones and XLR stands for external line return, and these are great, apparently, if you're aiming to have more than one speaker and need to plug in multiple microphones. Now, from what I've read and researched, these microphones can offer higher audio quality, but they also require an audio interface like a mixing box, and so, again, it's up to you whether you want to have simple equipment or build equipment that you may use over the long term.

Speaker 1 4:21

Then the next item you may like to consider is a pop filter, and, as I mentioned, the microphone I use has one built in, but if your microphone doesn't, you can buy them as accessories which just really help the sound quality. You may also like to consider a boom arm or a microphone stand, and these help to position your microphone comfortably and reduce handling noise, and brands like Hail Sound and Rode offer good options here. Now I don't actually have one of these, but I can absolutely see how they would be useful. My microphone sits about 15 centimeters away from my mouth when I'm talking, when I'm recording, and on a number of occasions I have smacked the microphone with my hands because I actually gesture when I talk. So I have bumped my microphone a few times and I believe a boom arm or a microphone stand that got the microphone actually away from my hands might help. Then you may need to consider headphones. So the ideal here is closed back headphones, and these can help in monitoring audio without sound leakage. That said, when I'm recording I simply just plug in my Apple wired earphones into the back of the computer so that the audio is coming into my ears rather than outputting through the computer speakers and into the microphone, so it just helps to cut out background noise. Now, as I said, if you are using an XLR microphone so a microphone that does not plug directly into your computer you'll need some sort of an audio interface and, as I said, that's like a little mixing box that converts those analog signals from an XLR microphone into digital. So it's just another bit of equipment that you'll need if you choose to use an XLR mic and, as I said, I choose to use a USB mic, so I don't need to worry about that Then you'll also need some sort of recording software and programs like Audacity is free.

Speaker 1 6:45

I use Audacity on my Mac machine. Garageband is free for Mac users, or if you have Adobe Audition or want to subscribe to it, that is an option as well. I like to use the free options, push them as far as they go and as much as I need them to be able to do, and I will then only revert to a paid subscription option if I need to. Then there's also online services like Riverside FM, which allow you to do recording calls with guests into the computer, and from what I understand with Riverside is that both people talking have Riverside downloaded, so it captures better quality sound. I haven't actually recorded on Riverside, but I know that professional podcasters use it and other services like it.

Speaker 1 7:41

That said, I do all of my guest recording calls via Zoom and I have read in podcasting circles that that is not ideal for sound quality because it's not optimized for audio. It's optimized for video, actually, and for that face-to-face communication. But for me I find the sound quality is good enough for what I need at this time and I already had a paid Zoom account, so I'm choosing to take advantage of that. Then you'll need a computer and this has to have sufficient processing power to handle recording and editing tasks. And when you're dealing with sound files they can get quite large quite quickly. So it's just a consideration that your computer can handle large file sizes.

Speaker 1 8:33

Now you may also want to consider acoustic treatment, which might be like in studios. They have foam panels or blankets and this can help to reduce echo and improve sound quality. Now I don't have an elaborate setup where I record, but it is in a carpeted room, a bedroom, and across the back of one set of sliding glass door mirrors I actually have a fabric backdrop. I use it as a recording studio for other purposes, for my coaching calls and things like that. So I think having that extra bit of fabric helps to dampen any echo that might otherwise be there with glass mirrors and metal frames. But really with recording it's about finding the quietest, least echoey environment that you can.

Speaker 1 9:30

Then also, you'll need a podcast hosting service and this will help to distribute your material, and I'll talk more a little bit about podcasting hosting services later in this episode and you might also like to consider having a portable recorder. So if you're looking at doing podcasting on the go, you might want some sort of audio recording device and say, a lapel mic like the Rode lapel mic or any other lapel mic. It just really depends on the style you're going for. As I said, I do all of my recording via Zoom and a USB mic, so my setup is fairly stationary. Now, when it comes to recording your podcast, as I've just said, you know how you record your podcast will depend on whether you're recording solo or whether you're going to have guests, whether you're recording in a studio or whether you're going to have guests, whether you're recording in a studio or whether you plan to record on the go. And I find, and have found, it easiest from the beginning to record all of my solo episodes straight into Audacity. So I will literally sit at my computer, plug the USB mic in, plug in my earphones, open Audacity and start to record. If I need to pause the recording for any reason, I can, and if I'm interviewing a guest, we'll both dial into a Zoom call that I've set up and we'll use the record to cloud option and then, after I've finished, I download that file and bring it into Audacity to add my intro and outro and do editing as required.

Speaker 1 11:13

Now, just in terms of recording, it's worth noting some of the tips and it's really important to find a quiet space to record, you know that's free from background noise and interruptions. I find that sometimes on particular days or particular times it can get noisier here, so I try to record at times when I know it's going to be quiet. Also, as I mentioned, the room I record in has carpet and soft furnishings which minimize, you know, echo and reverb and that tinny sound. So the quieter the location you can record in, the better. And also I think it's important to record in the same place each time to maintain consistent sound quality. It just becomes noticeable if you can hear things in the background and you hear pots clanging away or kids hear things in the background and hear pots clanging away or kids running around in the background, and, depending what sort of topic you're going for, that background noise might be okay, but it's not something, for example, I want in my recordings In terms of using a microphone and this has taken me a little time to get used to.

Speaker 1 12:29

But I think it's important to maintain a consistent distance from the microphone, you know, and typically around 15 to 20 centimeters depending on the type of mic you have. So when you go to buy your equipment, do some searching through, you know, youtube and just look to see if there are videos on how best to use that microphone. Also, I think it's important to speak clearly, to enunciate your words and maintain a steady pace, and this can be tricky, but the more you do it and the more you're recording yourself and listening to yourself back, you'll work out where to improve or what might need to change, and for me, this is an ongoing journey of discovery. Also, it's important to take breaks, so if you're recording for a long time, you can use the pause button to pause, take a break, have a drink, rest your voice and build up that energy to carry on with the next segment. I think that's important as well.

Speaker 1 13:37

Once you've recorded an episode and you've recorded that content, it's likely that some type of production is going to be needed. There are some services that you can subscribe to that will do all of this for you, but I find that the learning for me has really come in trying to do it myself. It might be something I outsource at a later point, but I actually enjoy the editing process because I've learned so much. But for me this this starts in Audacity, so I'll have the file in Audacity. I'll add in my standard intros and outros to the episode. I'll do any editing for clarity or if there were any areas where I completely tripped over my words and that happens and I have to cut content, I'll do that. And I also do basic sound editing, like normalizing volume levels, and this is just a simple setting to ensure that audio levels are consistent throughout the episode. Again, this was a tip I learned through watching YouTube videos, and each time I watch a video about sound editing I'll pick up something that I think, oh okay, cool, that's something I can use going forward. This all takes time, but it's just building on my understanding of sound editing and then, once I'm happy with the file, I export it as an MP3 file and run it through a software program called Orphonic, which is an online sound editing platform, and it just seems to tidy up the sound a little more. You get three hours of uploaded content for free each month and then if you need more than that, you can pay a nominal amount. So, again, I always try to look at the free options that are out there, and if I then need to pay for a paid version of it or additional usage of it, I do, and then my file is ready to upload into my podcast hosting platform. For me, that's Buzzsprout.

Speaker 1 15:46

Now, podcasting platforms play an important part in the podcasting ecosystem. They provide the infrastructure and tools needed to distribute, manage and promote your podcast, and there are plenty of paid services like Buzzsprout, libsyn, podbean and Anchor. They're just a few of the names that I came across when I was researching this. I chose Buzzsprout, as I said, and I've been using them since January, and I'm really happy with what they offer. It's a paid service in the form of a monthly subscription, and it costs about, I think, about $28 to $35 after the US dollar conversion.

Speaker 1 16:32

For me, the podcast hosting platforms really do a lot of the heavy lifting in terms of getting your podcast out there, but probably their most important function is storage. As I said, when you're dealing with podcast and sound files, they are large files and you need to store them and host them somewhere so that they can be played out there on the ether. So your podcasting hosting platform will provide storage for your episode and storage for those audio files, and they will handle the bandwidth required for listeners to download or stream your episodes, ensuring smooth and uninterrupted access. Sound is their business, so they have all the equipment behind their service to ensure that really you're getting the best sound quality. They also look after the RSS feed and it's the RSS feed that takes your episode and pushes it out to all the different podcast directories, and to me, this was one of the biggest benefits of paying for a subscription to Buzzsprout or any of the hosting platforms.

Speaker 1 17:46

Now, for me, buzzsprout will push my podcast and every episode out to Apple Podcasts, spotify, google Podcasts, iheartradio, podbean, podchaser and many, many other dedicated podcasting directories that I don't even know about but which have big communities in their own right so now, once it's all set up and it took a little bit to know about but which have big communities in their own right. So now, once it's all set up and it took a little bit to set up, but it was very easy, it was a very step-by-step process. You know, follow the bouncing ball. Once that was all set up, now I just upload an episode, schedule it to go out on a Monday morning and Buzzsprout handles that distribution. It automatically pushes the audio file and the show notes out to a heap of different platforms, so this just saves so much time. It is possible to do that manually, but for me it's just not worth the time to manually do that if I can automate it through this software.

Speaker 1 18:49

Also, buzzsprout and the other podcast hosting platforms make it really easy to submit your podcast to directories and really just to get it listed, and this helps to increase your reach and accessibility. I'm sure there is no way in the world that I would have been able to get listeners from Zimbabwe and Russia and Sri Lanka and Cambodia, let alone Australia and the US, had my podcast not been run through one of these big hosting platforms. This is what they do. It's in their interest to get your podcast out to as many platforms as they can interest to get your podcast out to as many platforms as they can. So this is just another benefit of having your podcast hosted in a professional podcasting environment.

Speaker 1 19:36

One of the other things the platforms provide is analytics and stats, and so there's a heap of information about the number of downloads, where people are listening, from what type of devices they're listening, you know, and it just really helps to understand how each episode is going, a little bit about the demographics of who's listening and, as I said, where they're listening from what their listening habits are, and this can help you over time to refine your content or to get a better understanding of whether the content you're producing is resonating. The podcasting platforms will also have monetization options, and whether that's integrating ads paid ads into your podcast and you get a cut of that, or subscription models where you can set it up so that your listeners pay per episode or pay to participate, there are additional monetization options in the podcast hosting platforms. I haven't explored them. As I've said before on this podcast, I'm not looking to monetize this particular podcast, but it's good to know that that option is there if I ever needed it.

Speaker 1 20:59

One of the other really important aspects of the podcast hosting platform is that they provide a basic website or a web page for you to host your content, and I was able to buy the domain name you know, talkativetoastmastercom and map that to the page on Buzzsprout, so I can basically point people to talkativetoastmastercom. That directs them to a page that's actually hosted on Buzzsprout. Now I haven't chosen to build an entire website around the podcast. I think the mini site that Buzzsprout provides for my monthly subscription fee is completely adequate for what I need. At the same time, the API function in Buzzsprout would allow me to send those blog posts out to an actual full-blown website if I chose. So I think it's important to have that option as well.

Speaker 1 22:06

You need to be able to point people to somewhere, and ideally it's you know with the domain name of the name of your podcast. Also, I love the episode management aspect of Buzzsprout, and this would be the same in other podcast hosting platforms so I can schedule my podcasts to go at specific times. I can edit them. Buzzsprout provides some really cool AI tools that can help to create the show notes and help to create social media posts if I choose to use them. There's also a blog function, so it will actually transcribe every episode and create a 750 word blog post from that.

Speaker 1 22:53

Now, I don't actually publish that content anywhere, but it's good to know that it's there if I needed it and if I wanted to repurpose this content in other ways. And also there's a really supportive community and, again, each of the podcast hosting platform companies will have a social media community around them and their own YouTube channels talking about podcasting tips, and it's great to be able to dive into that forum and ask for questions and support on any questions I have about the platform. It just makes my life much easier if I can't get something happening in the way I want or if I need a question answered. And what I've found generally is that the podcasting community is very supportive. It's much like Toastmasters in that most people are there and wanting other people to succeed. Most podcasters know what it was like to release their first episode or their first couple of episodes and hear crickets and then, over time, build an audience and build a following, and I love that everyone is so friendly and supportive. And, again, the podcasting hosting platforms are going to be able to provide that environment.

Speaker 1 24:11

Now, that's a bit about the podcasting platforms out there. But with all that being said, if you're looking to just get started on this level four elective project at the very least, you could simply upload an audio file to YouTube or to a Rumble channel and put on a bit of cover art and just send people there. It doesn't have to be that complicated. I'm just giving you some of the options I use and which make my life easier. But for the purpose of the Level 4 project you could really use very simple publishing software and be done with it.

Speaker 1 24:53

Once you've got your podcast out there and on the directories whether it's through podcast hosting platforms or YouTube or Rumble or wherever then you'll need to think about marketing your platform, and just because it's out there and published doesn't mean that people will automatically find it. You've got to do a bit of legwork here to promote your work. One of the first things I did was to create some business cards in Canva, which is free online graphic software and just with basic details about the Talkative Toastmaster podcast the, my phone number, the website address and I hand this out to anyone who I think might be interested. So it's a very traditional form of marketing, but it's quite effective. If I happen to be at a networking event and talking about podcasting, I can just whip out the card and give it to someone to say oh hey, you know, check out my podcast.

Speaker 1 25:52

I think social media is really important. I have a Facebook page, twitter account and Instagram account for my podcast, although, that said, I am in Facebook jail, which is a long story, so I can't actually do anywhere near as much on Facebook as I would like to, to promote my podcast, but I do promote my podcast within the Toastmasters community and at the clubs I'm in, and that happens to be quite specific to my audience. As I mentioned, I think it's really important to have a website, and my podcast hosting platform provides that, and it's where I can point people because I don't know if their preference is going to be to listen to the podcast on Spotify or iTunes or Google Podcasts or Amazon Music or wherever. So by pointing them to my website, that gives them all the options about where they can listen to the podcast, and that just makes it easier. I think as well.

Speaker 1 26:59

One of the other ways you can market your podcast is to collaborate with other podcasters, so either appearing on each other's shows or reaching out to podcasters that have a topic that might be similar to yours, but somewhere where you can add value, and you can point back to your podcast and say hey, I speak about this topic, would you like to do a collaboration, or would you like to appear on my show or I come on your show. So it's a bit of marketing yourself and putting yourself out there, which can be daunting, but it can have massive rewards, and I have met some great people just through reaching out and introducing myself. One of the other areas to consider is how to optimize the words in, say, your show notes or even your episode titles, so that it can be found in search engines, and if you can provide transcriptions as well. Again, some services will automatically do this for you. I know that I believe it's iTunes has just started to provide transcripts automatically of each episode that's uploaded there, so transcriptions can provide more written content, which makes it easily findable in search engines. So that's another option for you. And then there's the good old networking in person.

Speaker 1 28:23

As I mentioned, I really like to just talk to people about my podcast. If I think they might be interested, I give them the details, and also if I think that they would make an interesting guest, you know, when I'm at Toastmasters events and I find someone that has an interesting story and I believe everyone has an interesting story then I invite them to come on the show and send them some follow-up information. So as we wrap up this particular episode, I want to acknowledge that the idea of starting a podcast can absolutely sound daunting In thinking about the equipment and tools, the recording and production process, podcasting platforms and marketing your podcast. It can seem like there is a lot to do. I get it, but I come back to the fact that you can learn as you go. You can upgrade equipment as you go if you need to. You can study more about sound editing as you go if you need to. You can observe how other podcasters interview guests effectively and try different techniques yourself as you go. You won't know any of this stuff until you actually do it, and they're all just skills that can be learned and improved over time.

Speaker 1 29:41

As I mentioned in episode 34, I truly believe that podcasting is the perfect platform for Toastmasters, whether you're looking to share a topic you're passionate about, build your personal brand or create engaging content for your audience.

Speaker 1 29:58

Starting a podcast has been one of the most rewarding parts of my Toastmasters journey to date. So for Toastmasters considering doing the Create a Podcast Level 4 elective, I would say just dive in, get going on it and see how you go, and if this series in any way inspires you to start a podcast, please reach out to me and send me a link to your creation. I would love to hear it. Thanks for listening to today's show. Head to talkativetoastmastercom, where you'll find the show notes for this and all other episodes, as well as links to some awesome Toastmasters resources. If you found value in today's content, I'd really appreciate if you could share it with friends and colleagues who may be interested or leave a review on iTunes. This helps more people to find us. Until next time, remember the words of Roger Love All speaking is public speaking, whether it's to one person or a thousand. Have a great week.